In such matters, the federation is the farmers 'spokesman, and when their officers tell us what they want, we know they are speaking for the common farmer, instead of merely using the farmer as a tool to advance their own ideas.

According to a statement from the Tea Party Express, one of the groups participating, the federation is being "established to create a unified message and media response amongst key leadership and their affiliates."

"Clubs are very well aware of the landscape, and I'm sure the fact that the Russian federation is not currently participating in the player transfer agreement will factor into clubs 'evaluations of players and their decisions on who to draft and when."